Improvements on the home front.

[chochiyo_sama]

The Kitchen.



I bought the rug in front of the sink after I got the kitchen all nice and clean.  I think it matches the tiles nicely.


The kitchen table--remember how it was buried under stuff before?


Closer view of the counter by the sink.  All nice and clean.



Nice clean stove--all grease and stuff scrubbed off.  See how shiny and white it is??



The counter on the south wall.  The bowl and glass are sitting there in anticipation of breakfast in the morning.  I like to have things laid out ahead of time.  


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The LIVING ROOM



The Northwest corner of hte living room.



The north wall of the living room.


 The northeast corner of the living room.



The south wall and southwest  corner of the living room.  The paper on the edge of the couch is my therapy homework.



View of entire living room from dining room arch.





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The DINING ROOM


The northwest corner of the dining room.  All the glassware in the little built in cupboard has been washed and polished.



The north wall of the dining room.




The southwest corner of the dining room.


The east wall and southeast corner.  All the plants were dusted off too.



The center of the dining room.  Note that the table is cleared off completely.  To the right is the south wall.



See how neat and clean the glassware in the china cupboard is.  (The stuff under the china cupboard is mostly boxes I use to mail stuff in.)

Comments

Ack.

[the_godiva]

You finished before I did.

Well, I have an excuse. I was constantly interrupted by the workmen I hired to: do the driveway, paint the house, landscape the front yard, install the photovoltaic, upgrade the electrical, all of the inspectors. And then I was spending time putting everything back the way it was. Still haven't finished putting everything back in the back yard that was moved to paint. But....my dicondra is sprouting.

I love that chair and ottoman in the living room. Never get rid of that, reupholster if you have to. The other chair, the lighter colored one. Is that the one you want to replace with the recliner that matches the sofa? The new sofa looks so nice.

That secretary's chair on wheels at the dining room table? I have that exact same chair.

That is a very nice rug in front of the kitchen sink.

I know you don't love your kitchen table but I think it is charming. Have you considered a paint treatment to tie it into the kitchen? You're so creative and handy, I know you'd love your table once you finished.

Ahem. The counter the microwave is sitting on? the cabinet is still missing a knob. Knobs aren't very expensive you know. In fact, you could replace them all and it would just change that piece. Tie it in to the rest of the kitchen. Paint it and change all of the knobs in the kitchen to all match. I love paint. The best think about paint is it is cheap and if you make a mistake or don't like it...you just paint it again.

I'm going to be painting my kitchen soon. Just as soon as I get a new cabinet for above the stove for the new microwave combo. (that's sitting in the garage waiting to be installed). I just bought two new vintage glass shades for my ceiling lights and the kitchen is so much brighter. I put in compact fluorescents too. I used to have pink shades in there (free from my old neighbor, Bob) but I guess the paint inside the shades really cut down on the light. Plus the pink ones didn't match and the new ones do. I love them. After I paint everything I'm considering replacing all of the pulls. The ones I have now are cheap black plastic. I might do black glass in a vintage style, or maybe metal. I think I'll check out the selection at San Diego Hardware. I've been dieing to check out their new location.

Your plants are alive and healthy? (I hate you.)

Re: Ack.

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

you notice that the only plants left alive are succulents. Those that can survive long periods of time without water....I used to have zillions of house plants everywhere....now those few and a brave little Christmas cactus in the spare room downstairs are the only survivors.

I am thinking of getting that chair and ottoman recovered and putting them upstairs in my computer/craft room. I thought it would be pleasant to sit in that and sew or crochet or mess around on my laptop. I was thinking of something in green. I love forest green. I'll have to see what is available.

Yeah, I know the knobs all need to be replaced. Also, I'd like to paint all that white woodwork in the kitchen. What do you think of either blue or green in a shade that matches the wall paper?

What I would do.

[the_godiva]

Even succulents fear me. I have orders not to touch any of the living plants in the library. My library tech takes care of them. I am to stay at least 5 feet away. And I can't even look in their direction for too long. (Funny but I'm usually OK with the outdoor plants in my yard. Roses. Geraniums. Fuschias.)

It's a shame to hide that beautiful chair and ottoman upstairs in the craft room where no one will see it. Especially after it's reupholstered.

I'd paint all of your cabinets plus the counter the microwave is on the same color. Perhaps some sort of cream that ties in to the wallpaper. I'd replace all of the knobs with ones that are all the same. That would help tie the existing cabinets into that extra counter the microwave is on. A cream like the vintage earthenware that is on your shelves by the sink.

Are you talking about the woodwork in the kitchen being the trim around the windows and the baseboard? A nice light sage green would be nice. Is that the color of green in your wallpaper?

And while you're painting, paint the dining table and chairs with the same cream and sage green.

What is that color in the floor? Not the light one, the dark one. Is that a green? How about that color only much, much lighter?

Is that a green bowl on the second shelf in your living room china cupboard? I'd put that on the newly painted kitchen table and put fruit in it.

Things to doooooo....

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Roses commit suicide as soon as I look their way. However, my echinachia (spelling????) florishes.

Ok, you've convinced me. I will have the chair and ottoman reupholstered to compliment the new sofa and leave it in the living room. It is a vintage piece my sister got at a garage sale for $10, thinking she would put it in their cabin. Her husband declared it "hideous" and refused to allow it to stay. So, she gave it to me.

I have been meaning to paint all those cupboards. I painted the vintage ones that creamy color they are now when I first bought the house. It definitely needs freshening up.

Yes, I was talking about the wood around the windows and the baseboard (and the door frame on the inside of the kitchen). I was thinking of taking a scrap of wallpaper to the local Lowe's and having them match one of the colors in the wallpaper. Green is a good candidate.

Hmmm...the table in cream and sage? I'll think about that.

The tile on the floor is a charcoal gray color.

Yes, that is a green bowl--it is actually a wedding gift my grandmother received from her mother-in-law. So, it is pretty old. I used to have a candlestick holder that matched it. I don't remember it being broken, but it has not been seen in recent memory. At one time, there were two--but that was before I was even born. Heh.

[enteryouruserid.livejournal.com]

Looks nice and tidy and clean! Good job! I agree, the dining table is nice, in design, you can change the paint job, or strip it, whatever you prefer. I like it, you should see mine, I don't have any chairs and the top is cracked tile. No, really, it's not supposed to be cracked! Congrats!
I like that you have dolls out, like I do, and you have craft stuff, in a plastic rolling bin (like me).

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Heh heh....I have dolls in every room of the house except the kitchen. I even have them in the bathroom!!

I love those rolling bins for getting stuff organized. Wait till I show you pictures of my sewing stuff all in bins on wheels. Whoa!!!! I could seriously start my own fabric store.

I have to stop buying fabric and get to sewing stuff!!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I particularly like the kitchen table.

Hey, we've got a fan just like that!

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

Everyone likes my kitchen table and I hate it.

Perhaps if I painted it, I'd like it better.

I'll post up a close up of my wall paper and see if any of those colors appeal to people.

[mistress-laurie.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't paint the table, I'd strip the paint off and stain it a dark wood-tone. That's what I did with my kitchen table, AND all my bedroom furniture (which used to be painted white).

Wood-tones are so nice.....

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

I love wood--it is the greatest irritation to me that so much of the beautiful oak woodwork in my house was painted by idiots. The wood in the kitchen is under so many layers of paint that they are actually about 1/4" thick.

I wanted to strip all that woodwork and restain it--but....man....sooooo much work!!

I don't know what kind of wood is under the paint on the table.

[mistress-laurie.livejournal.com]

It looks like a fairly old table, so it's probably a "good" wood - pine, ash or cherry would be my guess.

My bedroom furniture - a dresser and chest - had layers of paint, too, but when my Dad and I stripped them, it was gorgeous OAK underneath. Dad couldn't believe anyone would paint oak!

OooOooh

[0w13.livejournal.com]

Your house is so prettyful! I especially like the living room furniture (Wheee- red chair!).

I can only spot one bookshelf, though *surprised*... Though, knowing me, I've probably missed any others.

Re: OooOooh

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

See the two big boxes leaning up against the archway in THIS picture? http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1075/1245168716_dcbc8c5b2a.jpg?v=0

Those are two brand new bookcases I bought for the living room. I just haven't assembled them yet. The other bookcases that used to be in the living room, I have hauled upstairs. Heh heh. I have book shelves all over the freaking house!!

And books and dolls as well.

[holczer13.livejournal.com]

so, you is not dead? good! Dobby, er I mean I was wondering...

On to other things...I think you should paint the table cream, with the current red touches replaced by the sage. Sometimes when they made older furniture, it was made piecemeal, if it was intended to be painted, so that it didn't matter if some was oak, and some was pine, etc.

As to your chair; please please leave it the way it is! I love your chair/ottoman, and I think it really goes with your new couch! The carpeting is what needs to go, but I know you are planning that for next year, yes? I think once the carpeting says adios, you might like the current color of chair better? Btw, is there wood floor under green carpet? Because area rugs are way way cheaper than all new carpet, and wood floors are soooo nice.